Thanks for the advice. I’m trying to be civil about it and not let emotion dictate what I get. I do, as you indicated, want the best bang4buck I can get. After searching I found a guy who is so anal both of his karts are immaculate. He’s selling a X30 on a DR chassis for 3k and a Vortex Shifter on a Tony Kart for 6k. Obviously everyone’s advice will be to get the X30 and I will probably get it. The problem is I will never find a better shifter like this one. So while the X30 is what any rational person would get, this particular shifter kart seems like I should strike while the iron is hot. But again, maybe it’s just my emotions running wild. Regardless, I’m buying one of his karts this week! (And yes I changed my tune, I am getting a 2 stroke regardless of local competition.)
Just make sure you stick with something you can get parts and setup advice for. The Tony Kart is a fantastic product with strong support in your area, and Rok/Vortex is very popular in Florida.
I understand you’ve got your heart set on getting a shifter, but as I always do, I’m going to recommend against it as your first kart. It’s too much for a novice. You’ll spend all your time trying to keep up with the kart rather than actually learning how to drive it.
The Rok is good for your region, otherwise the X30 is popular across the country. I would personally go with the DR and the X30 if I were you. It’s a pretty decent setup and the DR has plenty of support across the country.
@DruLo206 could probably help you find a good kart in Florida. Give their podcast “Karting Dads” a listen, it’ll probably help you.
I’ll echo what everyone has said, skip the TaG and shifter karts and get a 4-stroke. You’ll spend less on consumables and less time working on it. Learn how to do maintenance, setup, and race craft on the slower kart. There will always be deals on used equipment out there because everyone upgrades often and (no offense) newbs getting in over there head because they bought the fastest kart.
either of those options are solid, cant go wrong. Based on everything you’ve told us here and those 2 karts you’re looking at, I personally would tell you to get the tony/rok set up… and here’s why
If OKC is your place, you’re best choice is a Rok and tony kart. Both of these products are distributed by OTK USA which is right around the corner from OKC. So parts for either the chassis or engine are in your back yard 24/7, and if not they can be here in a week. OKC has some very close ties to OTK/Vortex, so no problem finding help with either. Mike and Alex Speed are right there and have won more races on this set up than they can remember.
I agree that the Rok shifter is a handful for a novice driver, BUT Vortex makes a junior shifter version also. Vortex developed an exhaust manifold for the shifter in conjunction with OGP a couple of years ago for a Junior shifter class. The kids at OGP have been running this set up for the past few years and it works great.
So you could run the jr restrictor when you start out, you’d have about the same hp as the x30, maybe a little less, and would be able to wear the gearbox out… especially at OKC, there’s about 30 breaking points in one lap lol. Andre can get you one of the restrictors, or better yet wander over the Mike Speed’s compound and ask him, they run this set up at that track for his young team drivers.
The OTK/Vortex brands dominate the state from central FL south, and that’s where the karting population in FL is. DR doesnt have a dealer in FL, and if you want help with an x30 you’ll need to goto OGP as OKC doesnt cater to the IAME brand.
Just my .02
Thanks for everyone’s advice again!
The cheapest I can find a used setup with their Honda engine is 4500 before tax. (I can only find a used one at OKC itself. Even the used ones from club racers around OKC seem to be no less than 4500.) So as far as I’m concerned a 2 stroke is definitely what I want in terms of speed/power/price. I feel like their 4 stroke price is a bit high but it could be completely normal. They want 2k for their Honda engine, it’s a little ridiculous imo.
I want speed, I want power, and I want pain. I love that OKC is a bunch of turns where you have little to no time to rest in-between corners. I want the kart and the track to beat me up. I don’t need a four stroke to teach me how to brake, apex, and keep on the line. I just need the kart to do what I want it to do. A 2 stroke is not outside of my abilities. Hopefully I do get the shifter as it felt weird/boring going into a corner and not engine breaking.
I appreciate everyone saying that I need to learn on a four stroke but I raced motorcycles in my teens and 20s and for the past 7 years I’ve been racing on sims and even got in the top 100 on the Gran Turismo GT Academy competition. I am not new to racing as it has always been my passion, I’m just new to karting. Yes I will need to learn how to adjust a kart chassis and I’ve never worked on a kart engine but that’s all part of the journey as far as I’m concerned.
So to sum it up: I either overpay for a 4 stroke at OKC and get bored with it by the end of summer or I get a kart that will get my adrenaline pumping. After a few times with it on the track I’ll be just fine. I’m also taking a different approach than my OP at the top. If I get a shifter I will just be doing track days for the summer. I will not get into a race with it until I at least master the kart on my own at OKC. I will then take it to BMP and Ocala where I will get to finally open it up!
Thank you for everyone’s advice again! It is clear that it is meant to help me learn and stay on the track. The sentiments you’ve given me are the same ones we told new riders. But I don’t need a Mazda Miata to teach me anything, I need a Porsche so I can go have some fun!
Ok but get a rib protector. You really need it with 2 strokes.
I agree, x30 or its equivalent is really, really fun.
Thanks Dom! I’m heading out to Andersen Race Park now to check out this new shifter kart! By the looks of the layout a shifter is perfect for this track lol. That straight looks so long for a kart. 
Drove Andersen RP twice this week and it was a blast. Shifter kart was the best choice. Wheelied it on last corner onto straight and never missed a shift and kept it in the powerband. I was happy with myself because other guys learning on their shifters kept spinning out and missing shifts. I definitely felt more at home downshifting into corners. Sadly when I thought my gf was taking a bunch of pics she was not. 
I think the best advice came from @phastafrican when he said just make a decision lol. My gf and I are happy that we splurged and got what I wanted. Here’s a couple pics, it’s nothing new you haven’t seen but it’s new to me!
That looks great. Enjoy it!
Looks great, have fun.
Sooooo, get out on track yet?
Only at ARP a couple of times. I just got back from vacation. I’m debating whether or not to sign up for SSKC this weekend. Only 4 people were in shifters the first 2 rounds so it wouldn’t be much of a race but would be a perfect introduction for me. Sadly I might not do it just because of the heat. Shifter races take play at around 3pm and I’m more heat sensitive than others. I’m going back to ARP tonight or tomorrow morning. Probably tomorrow.
I can relate. We had a kid in our tent puking from the sun this weekend.
Yea, I think I’ll probably have to hold off. It’s frustrating though because I’m comfortable with the course and would love to be in a little 6 man race to get my feet wet. But between the heat and the fact that I’ve never even done a club race means I should probably hold off even though I’m super pumped to sign up. My initial and rationale plan was not to sign up for races until the fall anyways. (It’s nice feeling like a kid again when it comes to events like this.)
if money is no object, you might consider also running a lower horsepower lower grip class for the part of the year where running 20 lap races in 100 degree heat is too much physically.
I can go all day on a 100cc on hard tires. X30 on whites?, not so much.
That’s exactly what I may need to do but I’m not going to this summer. I’m still figuring out details off the track like transportation. I have 3 cars and a motorcycle so now I am trying to figure out what to sell and what to get. I’ve just been renting a full sized truck for $50 a day to get to the track right now lol. Which, honestly, has been great. I’m torn between trailer, truck, and utility van. I don’t like any option tbh.
When I raced motorcycles our team had two huge trailers and rv’s so starting over with nothing and alone is something I’m not used to. But again, kind of exciting. Only this time I don’t have to sneak around the government’s back to go race! I raced while I was also in the military and that was a big no-no in my career field lol. But I did it with my flight commander so I figured he’d be in more trouble than I would be.
PS: Anyone ever use this Cool Shirt set up? It’s expensive but might be worth it for me.
That looks like a great piece and with your background you’ll be up to speed in no time. Racers coming off bikes understand the physics of body movement 100x better than those that come out of cars. Some of the very, very best newbies I ever worked with came out of motocross.
We use a combination of a Ford (long, tall) Transit and a small trailer. Even with a bank of shelving on one side I can slide a full sized kart in the van straight off the stand with the wheels and sidepods removes. It is a really convenient way to transport and work from once you figure out the nuances. If I need to have the scooter, tent, tables, second kart, etc though we pull the trailer just to make life easier.
@Hman - What’s this season looking like for you? We have a couple of shifters here in Jax, but Ocala has the strongest numbers based on what I saw last year. Might be able to come up here for a race or 2 this season.